{"id":37518,"date":"2025-07-23T15:28:58","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T19:28:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.springfieldlibrary.org\/library\/?p=37518"},"modified":"2025-10-14T10:50:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T14:50:19","slug":"springfield-city-library-seeks-input-for-strategic-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.springfieldlibrary.org\/library\/springfield-city-library-seeks-input-for-strategic-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Springfield City Library seeks input for strategic plan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Ryan Feyre | Jul 23, 2025 | Read at The Reminder<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SPRINGFIELD \u2014 The Springfield City Library is hoping to get 2,000 or more city residents to answer a survey that will help shape the library\u2019s future strategic plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community Relations Coordinator Jamillah Medina Nova said the library has circulated surveys in the past, particularly for its 2020-2024 strategic plan, but this one is expected to be \u201cbigger\u201d and more widespread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking for 2,000 responses so we can have a really good indication from all different neighborhoods, all different walks of life,\u201d she said in an interview. \u201cWe really want everyone\u2019s input.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The survey\u2019s questions cover anything from, \u201chow often you use the library,\u201d to \u201cwhat do you like to do at the library,\u201d according to Nova. Additionally, there are agree or disagree questions such as \u201cdoes the library have enough space for your needs,\u201d \u201cis it up to date in technology\u201d and \u201chow important are the different resources to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[The survey] is basically measuring the importance of our services and what we have to offer,\u201d Nova said. \u201cWe\u2019re making sure that we\u2019re aligned with our mission, vision and values, [and] the community\u2019s eyes as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Springfield City Library is using ReThinking Libraries as a consultant for the survey and eventual strategic plan, according to Nova. The organization will be spearheading community listening sessions in September and October at the city\u2019s local branches to help steer the planning process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nova said the survey will roll into the fall before the City Library officially institutes the strategic plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight now, we want to get as many [survey respondents] as possible through the fall,\u201d Nova said. \u201cI think we\u2019ll start finalizing the details in November, December so that we can be ready for the new year to have [the plan] finalized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the survey, Nova said people have the option of visiting the City Library\u2019s branches to vote for their favorite services using a visual voting board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Available in English and Spanish, Nova shared that the boards allow people to list the top five services they would love to see at their local branches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere will be different ways to hear people\u2019s input,\u201d Nova said. \u201cThey\u2019ll be able to vote with the visual voting boards, take the survey, and then we invite everyone to come out to our listening sessions [when the dates are out].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the City Library, the survey is available to the public in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Swahili, and in both online and paper formats to ensure accessibility. Nova said this initiative along with the $10,000 Library Card Campaign are two of the many ways Springfield City Library is trying to engage with the public in a post-pandemic landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter COVID, it was hard to get people back into any building,\u201d Nova said. \u201cBut our resources are here and they\u2019re growing and they\u2019re going to continue to grow. So, we just want to make sure that we\u2019re connecting with everyone, meeting them where they\u2019re at, especially with digital access.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 1857, the Springfield City Library provides over 800,000 free print, physical and digital resources for public enrichment. Readers will find the survey on its website. According to Nova, it will take about 10 minutes to complete.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Springfield City Library is hoping to get 2,000 or more city residents to answer a survey that will help shape the library\u2019s future strategic plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,102,43,37,109,36,81,82,39,83,27,85,101],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-news-adults","category-news-brightwood","category-news-central-library","category-news-children","category-news-east-forest-park","category-news-east-springfield","category-news-forest-park","category-news-indian-orchard","category-news-library-express","category-news-mason-square","category-news-sixteen-acres","category-news-teens"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.springfieldlibrary.org\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.springfieldlibrary.org\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.springfieldlibrary.org\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.springfieldlibrary.org\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.springfieldlibrary.org\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37518"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.springfieldlibrary.org\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37650,"href":"https:\/\/www.springfieldlibrary.org\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37518\/revisions\/37650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.springfieldlibrary.org\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.springfieldlibrary.org\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.springfieldlibrary.org\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}